BANDITS

SYNOPSIS:
Joe Blake (Bruce Willis) and Terry Collins (Billy Bob Thornton) are bank robbers
on the run, aiming to accumulate enough wealth so they can retire in Mexico.
They acquire notoriety as "the sleep-over bandits" through their
unconventional methods of holding the bank manager and his family hostage the
night before a robbery and visiting the bank before business hours the following
day without the need to break in. But complications arise when they (literally)
run into Kate Wheeler (Cate Blanchett), a neglected housewife on the edge, and
both fall in love with her.

Review by Louise Keller:
Wickedly quirky and oozing with charm, Bandits is a gloriously entertaining
heist comedy with an irresistible cast. Barry Levinson stirs the mixing pot
deftly; an imaginative script, beautifully shot with a toe-tapping soundtrack
filled with lively rhythms. The handling of the mix of comedy and caper is a
little reminiscent of Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight with a thematic reminder
of Butch Cassidy. But Bandits is an original. The notions are as eccentric as
the characters; there's nothing ordinary or conventional about these sleep-over
bandits, who stumble from one hilarious misadventure to another. The cast is the
glue, and Willis, Thornton and Blanchett are magic together. Willis' Joe is a
charmer, a dashing rogue, who makes decisions on the run and could use a dose of
anger management. Thornton's Terry is a thoughtful, obsessive compulsive
hypochondriac with allergies, phobias and ears that ring. Together, they meld to
become Kate's 'perfect man'. And both are superb. Blanchett is simply divine as
the repressed, disillusioned housewife, whose neglectful husband has pushed her
to extremes. With her halo of flame-coloured hair, Blanchett's vibrant,
mesmerising performance offers a huge range Ė from uninhibited exhibitionism
to emotional delicacy. You will not easily forget Blanchett belting out Bonnie
Tyler's songs, using the kitchen tap as a microphone or singing through a
make-shift curtain separating sleeping arrangements between Joe and Kate. She
steals our hearts, as readily as she steals those belonging to the irrepressible
bandits. The comedy is played out beautifully, and some of the wigs and costumes
are quite a hoot. There are so many delicious moments, and by the time the final
twist plays itself out, I honestly didn't want the film to end. Bandits is a
zany, nonsensical and totally compelling bounty.

Review by Andrew L. Urban:
Lie back in your seat and relax; this is a fantasy intended for escape. Itís
full of those contrived essences like the ones you can buy for cakes: vanilla,
orange, etc. You can tell theyíre fake because you get sick of them after a
while. I donít mean to be too harsh, because I actually enjoyed Bandits, itís
just that you have to park your mind with your car outside. Undemanding, thatís
what it is. But whatís wrong with that? Well, as long as you donít expect
nuthin else, nuthin. Cate Blanchett IS very good, as are her male co-stars, of
course. Theyíre stars. Your enjoyment will be spotty, though, if you expect
Billy Bob to be his intelligentest. Heís in B grade country, and I donít
mean that as a derogatory Ė itís just the type of film you can expect. Nice
premise, lots of good business from the actors Ė in that underplayed kind of
quirky that sits well with stars Ė and some excellent camerawork make this an
amusing Ö. OK, funny, bit of nonsense. The best part is the dramatic grounding
that Cate Blanchett brings to her distraught housewife, and the way she makes us
believe her in all she does. Yes, she saves the film.